The Saint Lucia Kings have registered back-to-back wins as they dominated the Barbados Royals at the Kensington Oval. This victory was the first without out-going Captain Faf Duplessis and catapults the team back to the top of the table and further fuels hopes of a playoff berth.
In the first innings, the Boys in Blue put on an exceptional display with the bat. Buoyed by a stellar 97-run first-wicket partnership between St. Lucian Johnson Charles and newcomer Collin Munro, the Kings were well on their way to posting a huge total after the first ten overs. After his partner lost his wicket to the bowling of van der Merve, Charles went on his merry way, posting a match-winning 78. During the middle overs, the scoring slowed down a bit as the Royals pegged the boundary hitting back. Cameos from Roshon Primus (19) and the new skipper Sikandar Raza (18) steadied the ship again, leading the Kings to 195/6 off their 20 overs.
The second innings was even more dominant for the Kings, as the team’s seamers bagged five quick dismissals in the powerplay. Wickets continued to tumble in the middle overs when spinners came on, as runs dried up quickly. With Alzarri Joseph claiming three wickets for only seven runs, the Kings routed the Bajans by 90 runs in 17.3 overs.
The Kings will hope to continue their winning ways as they prepare to face the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots on September 9th.
